Broward Hottest Spot In Nation, Despite Fog

Despite a heavy blanket of fog earlier in the day, South Florida boasted the hottest spot in the nation Sunday.

The distinction went to Fort Lauderdale, which reported a temperature of 81 degrees on the beach.

Hollywood followed closely behind with a high of 80. It was 78 at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 77 in Miami and 78 in West Palm Beach.

The coldest spot in the nation was Malad City, Idaho, where it was 12 degrees below zero.

Today`s forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and highs in the mid-70s.

Forecaster Emmett Ricks, of the National Weather Service in Coral Gables, said some fog can be expected today, but it won`t be nearly as dense as it was Sunday.

``I`d be surprised if we didn`t get some fog somewhere,`` he said.

Although the sun broke through the clouds Sunday afternoon, the morning was considerably gloomier. The heavy fog, which limited visibility to less than 100 feet in many areas, covered most of the area earlier in the day.

The fog was thick enough in Miami early Sunday to cause airport officials to divert air traffic from Miami International to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa.

At times visibility dropped to about 800 feet, airport officials said. Since many major airlines set a minimum visibility range of 1,600 feet, that caused problems.

Sunday`s conditions combined in just the proper sequence for the thick ground cover that meteorologists call radiation fog, Ricks said. Rain had saturated the ground and air near the surface and warmed through the day Saturday.

But that warm air suddenly was released into the higher atmosphere when clouds lifted. Also released was the moisture, which saturated the air near the surface and produced the fog.

``If there had been a breeze off the ocean or if a number of other things had happened, we wouldn`t have the fog,`` Ricks said.